Tablets, smartphones and TVs upstage PCs at CES

IDG News Service - PCs were upstaged by tablets, smartphones and TVs at this year's International CES show, with some companies maintaining a smaller presence or holding back product announcements for a later date.

There were fewer product announcements from PC makers compared to previous years, with some companies waiting for the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Feb. 25-28.

"I think the timing of CES was bad this year for the PC cycle, and several did mention MWC as a venue for their next announcements," said Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, who attended the show.

Asus canceled a scheduled CES press conference, delaying product announcements to MWC. Acer was virtually absent at this year's show after it held a press conference last year to announce ultrabooks. Hewlett-Packard, the world's top PC maker, announced Pavilion Sleekbook laptops ahead of CES and showed those at small media events on the sidelines. Dell showed off incremental upgrades to its Inspiron laptops and Latitude tablet, and also announced a thin client for businesses called Project Ophelia, which failed to draw a lot of interest.

"Major industry and trade shows continue to be focal points and bring together customers, partners and influencers, and as a result many vendors opt to use these events as platforms for announcements," said a Dell spokeswoman Ellen Murphy in an email. She declined to comment on Dell's plans for MWC.

Lenovo maintained high visibility with new products like the IdeaCentre Horizon table PC getting attention. As in past years, the Chinese company rented out the Aquaknox bar at the Venetian, but it did not hold a press conference for mainstream media. Lenovo was thrilled with the response it got at CES, a company spokeswoman said in an email.

Tablets with Windows 8 were introduced by small companies like Vizio, Panasonic and Razer, while Android tablets were shown by Archos, Coby, Polaroid and RCA. Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Nvidia and Qualcomm also took center stage, announcing chips that could be used in future smartphones, tablets and PCs.

The shift at CES from a focus on PCs to mobile devices reflects the overall market shift, with PCs increasingly taking a back seat to tablets and smartphones, which are finding wider use for basic computing, Web browsing, video and email. Smart TVs are taking on some of the functionality of PCs, allowing users to browse the Web and stream videos from websites like Netflix.

The PC market is weak with traditional laptops and desktops no longer the centerpiece of IT, said IDC research director David Daoud, who was not surprised that the PC presence was subdued at CES. The PC market is in the process of a reboot, Daoud said. New thin-and-light laptop designs are being developed with tablet-like features such as touchscreens and detachable hinges, which could attract a whole new set of buyers.